The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-11-30
The Rochester Post OfIice.--Again.

Mr.. Editor.-An editorial in the Argus
and Patriot of September 14th charges
certain republicans over in Rochester with
being in a peculiar state of mind because
George s. Guernsey, postmaster at ROches-
ter would not violate his oath of office"
The motive for such an editorial not being
understood at the time, and feeling that
the charge, il true, involved a moral crime
akin at least to subornaton of perjury, the
citizens of Rochester, unwilling to rest
under such imputations, made plain state
ment of facts, subscribed to by twenty-three
democrats and like number of republic
cans, and requested Mr.. Atkins to publish
the same in his paper, making the plaster
as broad as the wound. This he refused to
do, and the same appeared in the WATCH
MAN of November 9th. A second editorial APP
peared in the argus of November 10Th, aud
this time the nlotiUe is so plain that he who
runs may read" He charges the republic
cans with political meanness-of being a
bull-dozing set of bigots who do not intend
that any democrat shall live in Rochester
who cannot be controlled by them. He
also affirms that the democrats who sub
scribed to the statement of facts which he
refused to publish did not understand the
case. If Atkins will come to Rochester and
take account of stock he will soon be con-
WINGED that the democrats are not the i'm
beetles he took them to be, but that they did
fully understand the facts to which they
subscribed; and he will also find that his
charges against republicans in Rochester are
equally fallacious and UptrUthfW In the
editorial of November 10th, as If conscious
of the absence of HUing witnesses to support
his indictment, he invades the sacred pre-
Cncts of the grave and invokes the aid of a
deceased friend, claiming to voice his opin-
ion Qong years ago. and parading his name
before the public, to the great modification
of the family and relatives and to the utter
establishment and disgust of the people of
Rochester. To show to the readers of
the ArguS that Mr.. Atkins is wrong
in his statements and opinions we re-
affirm that politics has never entered
into town matters, either social or civic,
in any FORM within the memory of its inhab-
itants, and we offer record evidence in con-
firmation: In the present board-consisting
of selectmen, listers, town clerk, constable,
treasurer, overseer of the poor and col
lector of taxes-we find that the afore-men-
toned offices are held by five republicans
and four democrats. To prove that the
year 1887 is not an exceptional year we
quote further from the records: We find
that three of these offices have been held
by the same democrats for the last eight
years, another democrat has held Office four
years out of the last eight and another
two years out of the last eight; and lastly, we
md that leading democrat has had ten
elections to important town offices in the
last seven years, giving him two offices a
year part of the time. If this is evidence
III d LOW IL Vi SOlllt llItt llllluTtu TtDuDllCdUS
and some thirty democrats, of meGnneSS in
tolerance or bWidozing on The part Of republi
cans, the rule of proportion is humbug
and should be abolished. The editorial OF
November 10th closes by " thanking provi
dence that the democrats are in power in
the nation and these 0w-beating Rochester
republicans must take their dose" In re-
ply to this last will and testament of the
editor, we say that whatever dose the party
in power have in store for the people of the
nation the Rochester republicans, being 6
part of the people, expect to share with al
Others in the nation, though they did moi
contribute to the elevation of this DOSING
power. The postmaster-general of Vernon
at Montpelier and his appointee at Roch
ester will learn that they cannot admins
ter QUACK DOSES to either the democrats OF
republicans in Rochester with impunity
whether they are administered in the form
of editorials in the Argus or in too costly boz
rentals prepared by appointee or revised by
appointer. MOrdl-" You can (Mr. Editor
lead horse to water, but you can't make
him drink" A ROCHESTER REPUBLICAN